Managers, especially the most successful, often don't realize that their behavior annoys others. It is ridiculous, but sometimes they are even firmly convinced that their most annoying habits and behaviors are the reason why they are successful. Managers often don’t get the candid feedback that is constructive and useful. The higher their position is, the more isolated they become. When they do actually get some feedback, at best it is job-related.
A summary of the most annoying things successful managers do was published in an article on the management.about.com website. The source was provided by Marshall Goldsmith, leadership coach and recognized author of management-related literature, such as the classical book What Got You Here Won't Get You There. Negativity, arrogance and poor self-criticism are among the most frequent sins. Let’s look at the list.
Most annoying sins of top managers
1. They need to always win – even in cases when it doesn’t really matter.
2. They need to rate others and impose their standards on everyone. When there is a success, they fail to praise and reward others properly.
3. They are sarcastic and make cutting remarks when it is not necessary. Their inability to express gratitude or admit they are wrong is annoying.
4. They speak when they are full of anger. It is not good to use heightened emotional states as a management tool.
5. They basically say “You are wrong and I am right.” all the time because they often overuse negative introductory words such as “But” or “However”. Also they often explain why certain plans cannot work, even when nobody wants them to.
6. They blame everyone except themselves – be it the messenger, people and events from the past, anyone and everyone, but never them.
Book
GOLDSMITH, Marshall: What Got You Here Won't Get You There. New York: Hachette Books, 2007. 256 p.
-jk-